It’s been a while since I posted any links to stories about the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. I feel rather like I’ve fallen down on this job—self-appointed as it may be. Much of the news from the island is still harsh. The trash and debris piles are still growing. The Strand is being described as a “ghost town.” And saddest of all, the hunt for over 200 missing persons continues. Funny how the major media have all rather left that story behind, isn’t it?

In fact, that’s a soapbox I’m dancing on right now. They can send reporters to the island and to Houston to stand in the wind and rain, and tell how bad it might get. They can cover the evacuation stories, and interview (and then broadcast those interviews!) islanders who are confused and distraught, or who are stubborn and represent their neighbours rather poorly, making Texans “look” stupid. And then, they can fly helicopters over the horribly damaged areas and talk about how much the recovery efforts will cost. But, a week later . . . almost nothing. If it hadn’t been for Frank Billingsley who apparently lives on the island and works for a Houston news channel, there would have been almost no information. And, now, even after the island is open . . . almost nothing. I really have to dig around on the internet to find articles, mostly from Houston and Galveston-based sources, dealing with the recovery efforts.

I talked to my little brother the other day (who, by the way, seems to have found the lucky lady he wants to spend the rest of his life with, and she’s sporting a ring! Yay! Congratulations William and Melanie!), and he was surprised that we would be going to Galveston this December. “Isn’t the island wiped out?” he said. So, I gave him the history lesson of the Great Storm of 1900 and the raising of the island five feet, and the building of the seventeen-foot seawall. I told him how the downtown area buildings survived that storm, and this one, as far as the wind was concerned, but that this time, it was the water that did so much damage. I explained the geography of the island and the way the storm surge worked. He knew it had been bad, but “not as bad as other recent hurricanes.” So, we talked about how Ike had been classified a Cat 2, but one more mile an hour in the wind would have made it a Cat 3, and the storm surge had been more like a Cat 4.

We talked about the pictures he’d seen—Bolivar, Crystal Beach, etc., and the actual path of the storm. And, although he’s seen the pictures of concrete slabs where once stood homes like that of Terrill’s family, he had no idea there were still so many “missing” people. It really made me think, and realize just how little accurate news has been readily available to the general public. Even online, I found forum after forum of folks asking if certain buildings and places were okay—-because there’s no news coverage telling them!

Do we as a society just not care about anything but the fact of a disaster happening? Are we not as interested in the people as we are in the weather? I refuse to believe that. I believe instead, that this is yet another case of the major media being driven by sensationalism and horror, and not placing a high enough level of importance on actually reporting “news.” As the people of the area are trying desperately to dig out of the muck and get their lives back, they’re a little too busy to write or tell their own stories. This is the time when it would be really nice to have some good national coverage on these efforts. And, perhaps, if the media would report loudly that there are still body searches in progress . . . maybe, just maybe, the concept of “evacuation weariness” wouldn’t be such a problem in the future. My mind comes back to the phrase used by those ordering the evacuation to describe what awaited those who chose to stay . . . “certain death.”

So, after quite a bit of research, here’s a few bits of actual “news” about what’s going on in Galveston, a month after Ike.

I’ve just come across this article that speaks of the complete loss of our beloved Rudy and Paco’s Restaurant. The article claims that the damage was so extensive that the building had to be demolished. But, it also tells us they are rebuilding and hope to be back up and running in a matter of months. We will just have to look forward to our next meal there in December of 2009!

But, there’s good news, too. The Elissa and Bishop’s Palace will be reopening this coming Saturday, 25 October. The Galvez Hotel has in fact, reopened to the public as of last Wednesday—just as promised.

Meanwhile, plans continue for our group, athough a bit smaller this year, to descend upon Galveston Island on the first weekend in December. We’ll be staying at the Hotel Galvez, with a few of us peppered through other hotels on the island and just over the causeway. Many of our group will attend the Galveston Historical Foundation’s Dickens Ball on Saturday night, since our own beloved Gingerbread Ball has been cancelled for this year. We’re in the process of planning a game night, determining our dining options, and re-assessing how to pack for the much smaller guest rooms at the Galvez. But, we will go to Dickens on the Strand, and we will support the recovery efforts of Galveston Island. We will buy our tickets to get in the gate, we will purchase t-shirts, and ale, and glogg. We will look beautiful and have our pictures taken, and do what we can to make the event successful.

I personally, urge anyone with the slightest inclination to attend—-please do so. Please support Galveston Island as it climbs out of the mud, and debris and loss, and works toward recovery from the awful storm that was Hurricane Ike.